This chapter contains violence and scenes of death. Please read with caution.

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'' If something happens to her, you're dead.''

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Draco Malfoy.

The wind tugged at his hair as he landed safely outside the Malfoy manor. Draco was relieved — he was pleased with the matter that Theodore's father wasn't sick as they feared him to be.

It turned out to be a lie — something none existent. Mr. Nott was fine, more than it, and he couldn't possibly grasp why his own father would fill his mother with such lies.

Draco's hand closed around the doorknob, and his eyes flickered as he stepped inside. Even if he'd been away all day, even if he left Amelie in bed this morning — he was happy because she said she wouldn't move.

She would be waiting for him, and nothing in this world caused him to feel more at ease than her, lying in their bed and him being able to stay close to her for the rest of the day.

As he took a second step inside, his heel nearly slipped upon something wet across the tile floor of the foyer, and his sight grounded.

Blood.

Blood was shattered everywhere, a path of it crossed over the ground towards the kitchen, it stained the walls and as the tips of his fingers gripped the wood behind him, to close the door shut — his skin drenched by the red color.

Draco's head shook, and the first thing that clocked his confused mind was Amelie. His veins iced, and his heart nearly missed its beat as he marched over to the stairs and with storming steps — he rushed up to their room.

Nothing.

The covers in his bed still held in a complete mess since he left this morning, and the slippers — his slippers, the oversized ones that she always wore, rested on the floor next to the bed.

She never walked around without those slippers.

His fingers combed through his hair as he slightly towed it back, and he ran downstairs again. He failed to hear the silent cries that echoed throughout the manor — because when it came to her,

His Amelie, nothing else mattered.

Draco's heart pounded roughly within, and a thin coat of sweat layered on his forehead as he stumbled into the kitchen.

His breaths hitched, and his arms dropped to his side at the look of a body resting underneath a white blanket on the kitchen island.

'' Draco—'' His mother said, softly, but his head shook at her words, '' Draco, listen to me—''

'' Is that—'' The blond choked out as his teeth gritted, '' Who is that?''

He didn't want to seem obvious. His mind couldn't properly process what he was seeing or who he was seeing. Who the person, resting lifeless underneath the cover — was.

'' No, it's not—'' Narcissa couldn't finish her sentence before Draco snapped, and he marched up to the counter, his hand shook violently.

His entire body vibrated.

'' Draco...'' Theodore barely whispered, his cheeks stained by tears, '' It's not her.''

His neck arched and his eyes that held glued on the body on the island noticed the bump showing beneath the white fabric — the shortcut hair slipping out underneath the material and the color of it. It held differently than Amelie's. He could place the shade of her hair and the length of it anywhere.

It wasn't Amelie. It was Pansy.

'' No—'' Draco muttered to himself, feeling as tears stung in his eyes at the thought of Pansy and Aimee,

'' No, no, no—''

He fiercely turned around, and his knuckles struck the kitchen wall, over and over as he shouted— but it didn't hurt. Nothing hurt as much as the reality of Pansy's deceased body.

Draco flinched, his skin flushed as he felt Theodore place a hand upon his tensed shoulder, but he couldn't control himself.

The monster he once tended to be, torched inside again. He couldn't restrain himself as he grabbed Theodore by the collar of his shirt, and he slammed the boy helplessly against the wall.

Theo's eyes grew wide as Draco's narrowed, '' Where is she?'' The blond seethed, '' Where the fuck is she?''

Malfoy was shouting.

He carried no thought of how Theodore was doing, and he couldn't possibly care less that his mother witnessed his brutal act.

He forced Theodore back into the wall again, harder this time, '' What the fuck happened? Where is Amelie? Where is—''

He hushed himself, and his jaws clenched, more firmly than they had ever done. He could almost taste the tang of his own blood before he shoved Theodore to the side, and he stormed out of the kitchen.

Draco marched across the main floor before he rushed his way down to the basement, and his heart ceased its beat the instant he walked through the wide-open door.

Adrian wasn't there anymore, and Draco lost it completely.

His hands gripped the wooden chair standing in the middle of the cellar as he threw it against the brick-covered wall, but it didn't break, so he threw it again, and again, and again — until his hands sored in pieces of wood and his forehead drenched in sweat.

'' Draco," Theodore's voice caught him off guard as he flung around, '' Listen to me, Malfoy—''

'' She wasn't supposed to move,'' Draco was breathing heavily, '' She said she wouldn't move. She said she would stay—''

His tone broke,

'' She wasn't supposed to move, Teddy. She—''

Theodore stumbled up to the blond before he had the chance to fall to his knees, and his hands gripped him by his shoulders, '' Listen to me, Draco—''

'' I shouldn't have left. I shouldn't have left her. Why am I so fucking stupid?'' Draco growled at himself, his teeth clasped together, '' I shouldn't have left her. I promised her that she was safe with me—''

'' Draco,'' Theodore sought to call out for him, but to no use, Malfoy pushed the boy off himself as he stumbled back.

His hands brushed through his hair, tugging it back again and even from feet away — Theodore could feel how Draco's heart was breaking. How much not knowing where she was, and the fact that Adrian had taken her away broke him.

His heart was breaking. It shattered Draco into an infinity of pieces because he just got her back.

Amelie was his, and now — now he'd lost her all over again. He couldn't bear it. He couldn't even think about her not being here — her having to be close to the sinner she'd worked so hard to escape from.

He swallowed the tormenting lump of sobs he felt growing in the back of his throat as he turned to face Theodore again fully.

'' Where?'' Draco said sternly, '' Where did he take her?''

Theodore gulped, his hands nervously grasped at the ends of his sleeves, '' He didn't say—'' He stammered, trying to live with his own loss,

'' He took her wand, and he apparated them out of here, but he did mention the Dark Lord and your father—''

Draco's neck snapped, and the coldest of expressions manteled his face, '' My father?'' He hissed, '' And the Dark Lord?''

Teddy nodded, his eyes flickered from Draco in the dimmed basement as he watched the pieces of timber on the floor, and how a path of blood trailed to where Draco was standing — he was bleeding, plenty from the palms of his hands, but Theodore didn't dare to say anything else.

The flash of hope, that shimmer of aim Malfoy held in the grey eyes, burnt out. The Dark Lord and his father were a part of this, and Draco would hold them more than responsible for it.

'' Stay with my mother,'' Draco stated, shortly, '' And keep an eye on Granger, will you? We can't lose anyone else.''

'' Draco, what are you—''

'' Just—'' Draco growled, impatiently as he felt more than annoyed with Theodore, '' Just take care of them, and I'll be back.''

Theodore stood shakingly before him, and the look he held — that heartbroken, split into pieces gaze his eyes carried, caused Draco's insides to wrench, but he couldn't think about that now — no.

He needed to focus on Amelie. He needed to fixate all of his anger on finding her before it was too late.

His hand slipped underneath the suit jacket, and he hauled his wand back up, '' I'm not losing her again, Nott. I refuse to lose her again.'' He growled,

'' She's mine.''

'' She's mine, and I don't have a problem with killing every single person standing in my way of getting her back.''

Draco was furious, even more so. He couldn't control the way his hands were shaking out of rage and how his heart pounded with all of the despise he felt.

Theodore could feel a nod as it tipped off his head — almost unconsciously, and he was scared.

The blond one, and the way he was acting, caused him to fear him, '' Then do what you have to do to bring her back, Malfoy.''

'' Apparate.''

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Draco landed outside the fallen building he knew Voldemort held safely within, and it was as when he watched it — when he saw the moving bodies inside the darkened windows — he snapped.

Something within the boy, who cared for Amelie so raw and deeply — lit. A torch of alight flushed through his veins as he thought about her.

Draco wasted no time. He marched up to the entrance as the two guards standing outside raised their wands against him, and with a flick of his own wand along the most forbidden words spoken — they dropped lifeless to the ground.

He was rising to become the monster he had worked so hard to suppress, but he wouldn't have it any other way.

Not when it came to her.

His Amelie.

Without a doubt, his heels sounded severely across the wooden floor as he made his way into the hall he knew Voldemort would be in. Draco grasped the truth that the Dark Lord was most likely aware of Malfoy coming for him, but he didn't care.

The paintings covering the walls almost ripped of them as he stormed past, and the number of bodies and shattered material he stepped over as he went wasn't countable. 

'' Ah! Draco...'' Voldemort hissed the instant he entered the large room, '' I have been expecting you.''

The Dark Lord stood, in the middle of the room, with a dozen of his Death Eaters around him, '' You took your time, I see...''

Draco's eyes flickered in an attempt to make out his father in the crowd of masked men, but he wasn't capable of doing so, '' You have, haven't you?'' Draco snarled back, gripping his wand even tighter.

'' Yes...'' Voldemort strolled around in circles, '' I heard about your little guest, child.''

The way he was addressing Amelie made Draco fume in rage.

He was hurting, more than it.

He was crumbling on the inside, and every time his mind reached her — it tortured him even more, but he couldn't let it slip now.

He needed to stay focused.

'' I heard that you did,'' Draco caught a step forward as did Voldemort, '' Where is she?''

A peel of dark, provoking laughter escaped the Dark Lord's throat as his cloak shifted vividly around him, '' And what makes you believe that I would tell you where he's keeping the girl?''

Malfoy's jaws gritted.

'' Adrian Pucey has the claim on her now, since you failed me, son.'' Voldemort kept pushing, '' He took her to somewhere hidden, far, far away from here, and I find it hard to believe that you'll ever find—''

Draco's hand rose, and the tip of his wand pointed straightly at the evil man before him. His act caused the wands of the Death Eaters around him to aim their wands against Malfoy himself — but he didn't seem to bother.

'' You took her from me.'' Draco stated, lowly, '' I have slaughtered for you. I have buried bodies, erased memories. I have tortured for you!'' He shouted.

He lost the so far tamed temper. His mouth dry, '' I have done everything you've asked of me, and I have done so without any failure, and this is how you repay me? You take the one thing—''

Voldemort spread his arms wide, allowing his entire self on an exposed display.

'' You took her from me. You were never supposed to touch her!'' Draco yelled, his tone severe as it echoed throughout the fallen building, '' She was supposed to be with me, that was what we agreed on, not my father letting that pathetic excuse of a Death Eater out of my basement.''

'' Is that so, Draco...'' The Dark Lord's sight pierced through his, in a burning matter almost, '' Then how come you didn't achieve your task? How come I waited for you to find that girl's mother for months, and you never succeeded?''

'' She didn't—''

Voldemort rose a hand towards him, staring at the men standing around them, '' You see, child, that I'm not bothered with your excuses. You had a task, and you failed to complete it, so I did what I had to do,''

Draco's eyes darkened.

'' I robbed you of the one thing you needed since you failed to grant me with what I wanted.'' He kept on pressing the blond, '' She's none of your concern anymore, and as I understood it, your father brought the option of a mind-clearing spell to your attention. Perhaps that could be a brilliant idea for this.''

'' Where is she?'' Draco asked again, '' I'm not asking you again, where is she?''

'' You seem to have difficulties with your hearing, boy—''

Draco's neck snapped, and his hand twitched, '' Avada Kedavra!'' He shouted, and a standing Death Eater fell to the utter ground by the green light.

Malfoy didn't even hesitate, and he would do it all over again when it came to her.

'' Where is she?'' Draco questioned the Dark Lord, but as the time before this one — he ignored it.

His wand slightly tipped, '' Avada Kedavra,'' Draco yelled again, and again, and again — more and more bodies of Voldemort's servants dropped lifeless to the ground by the murderous act, but he still didn't care.

Even if the Death Eaters collided with the floor, and their lives were taken from them. Even if they strived to protect and defend themselves with simple spells— he still overpowered them until only one person was standing before him.

Voldemort knew that the Death Eaters couldn't use the same dark magic upon the blond as he did on them. He still needed Draco, and they understood that.

Voldemort simply laughed at the boy as the bodies of his men laid fallen around him, '' So you still have it in you... she didn't take it all away?''

Draco put his wand back into his jacket as he took threatening steps towards the man, holding only inches apart from him,  '' She took nothing from me, she saw it, and she fixed it. Amelie healed what you took from me. She made me human again, and I will find her.''

'' Then I wish you good luck, son.'' He grinned at the blond.

Voldemort sought not to take all his fury out on the boy because he knew that he needed him. If anyone else had spoken to the Dark Lord as Malfoy had done — they wouldn't have seen another second of sunlight, but he needed Draco to stay alive for his plans in the far future.

'' And when I do—'' Malfoy began to step back, '' When I do find her — I will come for you. I will hunt you down, and I will do to you what you have done to so many others.''

'' Is that a promise?'' Voldemort chuckled as he peered over the bodies on the floor, '' I will be looking forward to it, Draco.''

He didn't say anything else. Malfoy stayed quiet, and he marched out of the room. He was so mad — he was infuriated, and he keened that if he remained in that room, for just another second — he would have tried to kill Voldemort as well.

He didn't stand a chance against the Dark Lord like this — not when it hurt to breathe, not when the one thing, glued to his mind, was her. He couldn't focus.

He had no chance of controlling himself.

'' Son—'' A raspy voice caught Draco's attention, and he immediately spun around, facing the man he called his father, '' You have no right to just valse in here—''

Draco merely saw darkness again as he gripped his father and pushed him away, '' Don't you dare speak to me,'' He threatened. He usually owned respect for his father, but not right now — not anymore.

'' How dare you—''

'' No, how dare you?'' Draco's vocals held dangerously low, '' I approached her to save your filthy little life. I used her. I lied to her, only so you wouldn't face the same consequences as so many others have. I saved your life, and you played with hers.''

Draco stepped back, and the gaze he held was ripping apart in disappointment, '' I saved your life. She saved your life, only so you could take her from me, yeah?''

Lucius stood quietly. His eyes flicked off his son in shame.

'' For your sake, she better be safe—'' Draco endangered as he backed away, towards the entrance, '' For this family's sake, he better not touch one single hair on her head.''

'' Draco—'' Lucius sought to reach out to him, but without a win. Draco's mind was too clouded, too overwhelmed by Amelie.

'' You better wish that he doesn't touch her, because if he does...'' He held at the end of the corridor. His hand closed around the doorknob,

'' If something happens to her, you're dead.''

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